George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Bushby; indeed I can. The government understands that households and businesses are doing it tough. We understand that, as the ACCC disclosed yesterday, in the last 10 years there has been a 68 per cent increase in power prices, almost all of it attributable to the doubling of power prices in the six years of the Labor government and, in particular, as a result of its carbon tax.

The government has tackled power bills from every angle: from network to generation to retail costs. We've worked with the companies—in particular, the gas suppliers—to get better regulated markets, more transparency and more competition. Today's announcement is good news for consumers. Based on the advice of the Energy Security Board, the National Energy Guarantee will lead to a reduction in a typical household bill of $110 to $115 per annum, while the Labor Party only wants to force electricity prices up. (Time expired)